koinonitis ● over-active fellowship, people turned inward. ● work focused on maintenance, not...

Koinonitis● Over-active fellowship, people

turned inward.

● Work focused on maintenance, not outreach.

● “Church is for saints, not for sinners.”

● Little attempt to bring new Christians into church.

● Few or no friends outside of church.

● Common to immigrant churches, high group consciousness, charismatic groups.

Koinonitis● CURE:

● Rearrange and divide existing groups.

● Keep small groups “porous.”

● Start new groups regularly.

● Be sure all levels of sanctification have groups of their own.

Arrested SpiritualDevelopment

● DEFINITION: A condition where decisions don't become disciples.

● SYMPTOMS: Many members can't articulate their faith and their relationship to Christ.

● Poorly defined vision and philosophy of ministry.

● Purposeless education program.

● Dull, lifeless worship services.

● Crisis-oriented pastoral care only.

● Pastor leaves every 4-6 years.

Arrested SpiritualDevelopment

● MORE SYMPTOMS: Deficient Bible knowledge

● Little or no soul-winning.

● Poor spiritual formation

● Spiritual gifts neither recognized nor used.

● CURE: Revival by the Holy Spirit.

● Emphasize prayer and evangelism.

● Re-state church's vision that stretches the congregation's faith.

Arrested SpiritualDevelopment

● MORE CURES: Disciple and equip, rather than educate.

● Pastor must develop the following traits: stays put, Great Commission minded, gutsy, ranches the herd rather than shepherds the flock.

● Discover and use people's spiritual gifts.

● Worship that gives an experience of God rather than information about God.

People Blindness

● DEFINITION: Oblivious to cultural differences.

● SYMPTOMS: The attitude that other cultures are inferior

● Trying to do cross-cultural evangelism in a mono-cultural way. Not recognizing barriers in language, dialects, and lifestyles.

● Problems in assimilating people.

People Blindness

● CURES: Affirm the cultural heritage of each cultural group.

● Reach different cultural groups in culturally appropriate ways.

Hyper-Cooperativism

● DEFINITION: Cooperation for the wrong ends (e.g. Joint evangelistic crusades)

● Push for cooperation and mergers because of dwindling resources.

● A lot of time spent in evangelism, but no results. Decisions, but no disciples.

● Identity of each congregation is blurred.

● A lot of pastors' time spent in merging instead of evangelism.

Hyper-Cooperativism

● CURE: Limit cooperation to joint theological education, social services, and church unity; but not evangelism.

Sociological Strangulation

● DEFINITION: Overcrowding of facilities

● SYMPTOMS: Church growth stops.

● Sanctuary 80% full.

● CURE: Build sanctuary larger.

● Hold parallel services in other rooms of same building.

● Start daughter church.

● Home meetings

● Weekday services, multiple services

St. John'sSyndrome

● DEFINITION: Christianity of Faith and form, but no power.

● SYMPTOMS: Most members raised in Christian families. 3rd and 4th generation Christians.

● Loss of first love for Jesus Christ, or never experienced first love.

● Infiltration of false doctrine.

● Affluence that leads to lukewarmness.

● Biological/transfer growth only.

St. John'sSyndrome

● Patterns of worship are frozen.

● Revival and renewal is rejected theologically.

● PREVENTION: Steady influx of new and excited converts.

Other Diseases● ETHNICITIS – an unchanging

church in an ethnically changing neighborhood.

● SYMPTOMS: new minorities moving into neighborhood, vandalism of church property, deteriorating buildings.

● CURE: terminal disease, with a few options.

– Die with dignity.– Sell building and move.– Hire minority pastor to become a multi-

ethnic church.– Forge new kind of homogeneity.– Become multi-congregational.

Other Diseases● REVERSE ETHNICITIS –

immigrant church which moves into a majority culture neighborhood.

Other Diseases● GHOSTTOWN DISEASE – a

church located in a disappearing community.

● SYMPTOMS: no weddings, no baptisms, people leaving neighborhood for education and jobs, no one moving in.

● CURE: none.

● Share a pastor from another congregation.

● Remove guilt from the community.

● Die with dignity.